WebinarsNew
Deep DiveNew
Explore Business Standard
President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit Wednesday in Turkiye that the US will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defence systems to counter missile attacks from Russia in their more than four-year war, a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology. Allowing foreign manufacture of Patriots, which the US had resisted, was a turnaround for Trump that mirrored his day at the NATO meeting: Upon arriving, he lashed out at European partners for resisting his efforts to take control of Greenland and for not supporting his war in Iran. But by day's end, he described a gathering of unity and "tremendous love," and praised member nations on their progress in increasing their defence spending. Separately, the Trump administration also announced plans to rescind Syria's terrorism designation, in a key move toward lifting sanctions on the country. NATO's European members plus Canada have scrambled to meet the alliance's increased defence spending targets, which Trump h
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday demanded that the allies put forward "clear, concrete and credible plans" to reach the organisation's spending targets at its annual summit in Ankara. The 32 nations agreed last year to invest 5 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence - 3.5 per cent on their defence budgets and 1.5 per cent on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict. Spain endorsed the goal but said that it could fulfill NATO's security requirements without spending so much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the alliance's old target of 2 per cent of GDP. On spending among European allies and Canada, Rutte said that "the evidence we see so far is impressive." He said that NATO estimates that they will invest a combined USD 258 billion more in defense in 2025 and this year than they have in previous years. But the numbers might not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has .
President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump's attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria's role in the Middle East. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the upcoming summit in Ankara, where Trump also plans to meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Before returning to the United States on Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to have a news conference, Kelly said. Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy comes as Russia's war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. Both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Trump on Saturday, congratulating him on the July Fourth commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence. Zelenskyy sai
NATO's deputy commander told The Associated Press that he wants a summit in Turkey to spur member countries to spend more on defence, reaffirm support for Ukraine and underline the unity of the alliance. Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer, NATO's deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, spoke to AP in London less than two weeks before the crucial Ankara summit on July 7-8 tests the cohesion of the 77-year-old alliance. US President Donald Trump has sent conflicting signals over America's force posture in Europe, at times threatening to leave and at other times unnerving European leaders with his push to annex Greenland or his flattery of NATO adversary Russian President Vladimir Putin. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth lambasted NATO allies last week for not allowing use of their bases to attack Iran, as he announced a surprise six-month review of American forces in Europe. Meanwhile, government ministers in the UK have quit over what they say are military spending plans that fa